Thursday, May 27, 2010

Secure your cockpit lockers when at sea, but don't use the padlock.

Have you read Jean Van der Linden's account of Sandettie's near swamping during the 1979 Fastnet Race?
On Renegade we keep the liferaft, a spare anchor or two, the outboard motor, mop, boathook and countless other bits of boating necessaries (junk) in the port side cockpit locker, which is accessed by lifting the hinged lid that forms the port side seat. This lid can be fastened with a hasp catch and locked with a padlock if necessary. We do this when Renegade is left unattended to prevent theft of the valuable items mentioned above. At sea we take off the padlock.
But, when Sandette was rolled over during the Fastnet Race, the locker lid openned and the boat was partially swamped. So, something is needed to keep the lid closed, but not the padlock!
Adrian

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry, did'nt mention the year, yes, it is the famous '79 Fastnet...
I intend to give the boat an own name, but,when I heard that storry, the boat's name was defenetly decided, it's original one, SANDETTIE. This, with the agreement of who named her and sailed her in this harsh cobditions, Jan Krijgsman and his French crew.
Jean

Anonymous said...

Good sunday morning Adrian,
I don't know if I sent next mail, I made it on Word and don't find traces of sending it, here then, and if it's twice, sorry.
Meantime,Landamore confirm me the Sandettie is hull nr 7 moulded by Bridglands and not Colvic.

Hi Adrian,

Hope you had a nice weekend.

You're fully right to say that the cockpit truncks may not be fastened by "padlocks" while sailing,
I did'nt tell you how the lids of both truncks are now secured to avoid origins of possible disastrous consequences.

On both sides :
The Sandettie is fitted with one big trunck starbord and trunck + doghouse portside .

I put a piece of rope secured in the middle on the underside of the lids, (in the inner corner of the lid)
It go's down to the bottom of the trunk against the trunck wall and the engine compartment wall,
in the bottom there is a small stainless steel bridge to bring the rope to the front...,

At starboard, the rope goes, on that bottom corner of the trunck, alongside the engine wall
through the galley wall and can be secured there with a clam cleat on the sidewall of the engine compartment.
At portside, the rope comes through the wall just above the battery box and is also secured in a clam cleat on the port engine sidewall.

In fact I did this like explained above and, after reflection, replaced immediately the 2 ropes by one long one, going the same way from lid to lid and passing under the lower step, no lose ends on the ground, just a loop.
Like this it's easy to pull on the loop inside the cabin, securing the two lids by blocking the rope on either sides in their clam cleat.

I hope it's well explained, next time I'll make a few pictures. Rope of 6 or 8 mills is more than enough, neat, simple, cheap, and effective.
It's also a secundary safety lock when leaving the boat with padlocks fitted (or forgotten !).

Cheers,
Jean

Jean Van der Linden
Oostvaartdijk 38
B 2830 Klein Willebroek
BELGIUM

0475 31 95 02
mail jvdli@yahoo.fr

Nice sunday.